Cookies on the Arsenal WebsiteWe use cookies to improve your browsing experience and help us improve our websites. For more information, please click here. By continuing to use our website, you agree to our use of such cookies.

Equality and Diversity

Arsenal for EveryoneArsenal Football Club has contributed to the area of kicking racism out of football for some time. Over the years, the Club has partnered with many anti-racism organisations and hosted events including forums where young people could pose their questions to an informed panel – including Arsenal representatives - and discuss the issue in a relaxed environment.

Over time, the projects have evolved and in September 2007 the Club launched, ‘Arsenal for Everyone’ which aims to embrace and celebrate diversity and equality at the Club. The initiative was set up as part of the Club’s work towards achieving the Intermediate Level of Kick it Out’s ‘Racial Equality Standard’ which the Club achieved in September 2009. The long-term aim is to obtain the Advanced Level of the Equality Standard.

Under Arsenal for Everyone, Arsenal in the Community saw the need to address the topic of diversity with younger children and devised the project ‘World on our Doorstep.’

Arsenal for Everyone

Arsenal for Everyone

World on our DoorstepWorld on our Doorstep was a legacy left by one of Arsenal’s trainees, Bill Williams, who was employed by Arsenal Football Club for 18 years. The project draws parallels between Arsenal Football Club and the multicultural north London area in which the Club is rooted.

Over 1000 children take part in the project each year which sees Arsenal in the Community staff giving assemblies to children and coordinating activities to demonstrate the multicultural make up of the team which is reflected in the schools in the local area. Each school is invited to enter a competition with winners from each school attending Emirates Stadium to meet a player and talk about the work they have done and ask questions about the team and the different nationalities that make up the squad.

Religious ProgrammesArsenal in the Community has been involved in a number of religious exchange programmes that promote goodwill and understanding between young children of different faiths. Examples of these programmes include a ten year partnership with The Maimonides Foundation, an organisation which promotes Jewish-Muslim interfaith relations. The Club has contributed to achieving their aim of reaching young people by organising football tournaments for Jewish and Muslim youngsters. This work is echoed in Israel through the ‘Arsenal in the Galilee’ project. Galilee United is an Arsenal-backed co-existence project in northern Israel that brings together Jewish and Arab youngsters to play together in the same football teams. This is one of the few ways in which young people from across an often hostile ethnic divide can mix and meet each other on equal terms taking part in an activity they both love. The project has proved that sport can provide a framework for friendship like nothing else.

In 2006, Emirates Stadium hosted Edgware Primary School and Rosh Pinah Jewish Primary School, Edgware who participated in mixed team football matches followed by lunch and a presentation to each other on the festivals of Diwali and Hannukah.

Arsenal for Everyone Primary School ProgrammeUsing the Arsenal for Everyone title and thanks to Premier League/PFA Community Fund (managed and administered by the Football Foundation) the Club has produced a primary education religious project in line with the national curriculum. The scheme is delivered to 30 Islington primary schools in years four to six which focuses on religious diversity within the community. All sessions are followed by an hour’s football training with an Arsenal in the Community coach, stadium visits with a religious education workshop at Emirates Stadium.

The long term aim for this initiative is to engage faith schools in the project and to undertake religious exchange programmes using the successful Arsenal for Everyone model.

Equal Opportunities PolicyArsenal Football Club is committed to confront and eliminate discrimination, whether by reason of race, colour, nationality, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, ethnic and national origin, disability or gender reassignment.

Arsenal Football Club is an equal opportunities employer. We aim to act in a manner which ensures that our staff are able to achieve their full potential. We also aim to ensure that all employment decisions are taken without reference to irrelevant or discriminatory criteria.

Equality of opportunity means that in none of its activities will the Club discriminate against, or in any way treat less favourably, any person on grounds of race, colour, nationality, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, ethnic and national origin, disability or gender reassignment. This policy will be applicable to:

the advertisement of jobs

the selection of candidates for employment or promotion

job location or working environment

pay and employment terms and conditions

internal training and development activities

internal and external coaching and education activities and awards

football development activities

The Club will not tolerate sexual or racially based harassment, or other discriminatory behaviour, whether physical or verbal. The Chief Executive Officer will ensure that such behaviour is met with appropriate disciplinary action whenever it occurs.

The Club supports the bodies of the Football Association and UEFA in their commitment to develop a programme of ongoing training and awareness raising events and activities in order to promote the eradication of discrimination within football.

At Emirates StadiumAt Arsenal we employ in excess of 700 stewards on a matchday and one of their primary roles is to monitor supporters language. Any so called supporter who persists in using racist language, which constitutes a criminal offence, faces being ejected and banned from the stadium. Every match day programme carries a warning about foul language and racist chanting and, if the situation dictates, we make extra announcements over our tannoy system as well as including extra reminders and warnings in our club publications.

Please see below the equality / diversity related terms and conditions applicable to ticket holders for Arsenal home and away matches.

The UEFA 10-Point PlanUEFA have a 10 point plan that they want all European clubs to adopt in an attempt to eradicate racism in football. We are totally supportive of this plan and we believe that at Arsenal we already adhere to its principles through our current practices.

Issue a statement saying the club will not tolerate racism, spelling out the action it will take against those engaged in racist chanting. The statement should be printed in all match programmes and displayed permanently and prominently around the ground.

Make public address announcements condemning racist chanting at matches.

Make it a condition for season-ticket holders that they do not take part in racist abuse.

Take action to prevent the sale of racist literature inside and around the ground.

Take disciplinary action against players who engage in racial abuse.

Contact other clubs to make sure they understand the club's policy on racism.

Encourage a common strategy between stewards and police for dealing with racist abuse.

Remove all racist graffiti from the ground as a matter of urgency.

Adopt an equal opportunities' policy in relation to employment and service provision.

Work with all other groups and agencies, such as the players union, supporters, schools, voluntary organisations, youth clubs, sponsors, local authorities, local businesses and police, to develop pro-active programmes and make progress to raise awareness of campaigning to eliminate racial abuse and discrimination.

Premier League & PFA Community Fund

Premier League and PFA Community Fund

Copyright 2015 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source19 Feb 2010

Please ensure that you enter your parents email address and click here to review our privacy policy for those who are under 13. Please note that an email address can only be used once to register as a Digital Member so you cannot register for both an adult and junior membership under the same email address.

Mobile Number

* Country

Language Preference

* Postcode

* Email Address

* Confirm Email Address

* Password

* Confirm Password

Get all the news from Arsenal.com

Manager's Email and Weekly E-Newsletter (only in English)I would like to receive the weekly Manager's and Arsenal's e-newsletters and other information about offerings from The Arsenal Football Club Plc by post, email and SMS.

Club Offers and Information (only in English)I would like to receive ticket updates, membership notifications and details of other offers and information relating to The Arsenal Football Club Plc and its group companies from time to time ("Arsenal") by post, email and SMS.

Offers and Information About Our Partners and Sponsors (only in English)I would like to receive offers and information about carefully selected third parties, including partners and sponsors, from Arsenal by post, email and SMS.